Then and Now: Hall of Doges

Louis Davenport opened Davenport’s Restaurant in 1890 at the corner of Post Street and Sprague Avenue. It expanded with its popularity, taking over the whole building. Davenport also bought the building to the south, calling it the Pennington Hotel. Kirtland Cutter was hired to redesign the facades of both buildings, unifying them into mission style with red roof tile, stucco siding and arched windows. Spokanites hadn’t seen anything like the ornate Hall of Doges when it was completed by Cutter in 1904. Designed to emulate the elegance of Doge’s Palace in Venice, Italy, diners were transported into the world of Renaissance art and gilded scrollwork. Developer Walt Worthy preserved the hall by crating it whole and removing it during the Davenport Hotel’s refitting, then replacing it in 2001. Today it is a dining and meeting area outside the Grand Pennington ballroom. – Jesse Tinsley